Today’s edition is sponsored by The Rose Hotel.
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Welcome to the Playbook!
Each week the Playbook will bring you a story about something related to the current high school sports taking place locally. With 40-plus years of covering the East Bay Athletic League, the Playbook knows the landscape of local sports and will bring you the ins and outs, as well as the good (and the bad) of prep sports!
The Playbook is delivered each Tuesday into your inbox! It’s free — you just register to get it. Be sure to share with the players and parents of your team so they can get the Playbook each week too! They can do it at livermorevine.com.
The Big Picture explores the range of emotions when it comes to high school athletes dealing with life. Recently we had a pair of high school athletes at the same school with different emotions. It’s something I have seen throughout the years I have been involved in being a sportswriter. Everything can change in one moment.
EBAL Power Rankings have updates in both baseball and softball, with very little movement following spring break tournaments. Volleyball takes a week off as there was very little play. Everyone returns to EBAL action this week.
What to Watch has the big games this week as everyone jumps back into league play this week. As we are a step closer to the end of the regular season the matchups get bigger and more important. See when and where the biggest games are this week.
Got a great story idea for something coming up in the winter? Let me know at acesmag@aol.com!
From the sidelines,
Dennis Miller, Playbook Editor
Stories on two Foothill sophomores evoke emotions on promise and fragility of life
They are about two different students at Foothill who are headed in opposite emotional directions — one on an extreme high while the other is facing his life being in the crossroads following a horrific accident.
Power Rankings as of April 15.
EBAL BASEBALL
1. Granada (13-3, 6-0): The Matadors traveled across the country to a big prep tournament in North Carolina, going 3-1 and helping put their name on the map.
2. De La Salle (9-2, 4-1): The Spartans played only one game during the break and beat Jesuit 6-0.
3. Dublin (14-2, 3-2): The Gaels went 3-0 in the tournament they played in during the break, beating Northgate, Clayton Valley, and Alhambra.
4. Foothill (13-3, 3-2): The Falcons won the Service Champions Classic, going 3-0 and beating Livermore 13-5 in the finals. The next two weeks are massive for the Falcons, who have have two-game sets with Dublin, then Granada.
5. Livermore (11-4, 3-1): The Cowboys won the first two of the Service Champions they co-host with Foothill, then lost in the finals to the Falcons
In the hunt: Amador Valley (10-6, 2-4), California (6-7, 1-4), San Ramon Valley (9-7, 4-2), Monte Vista (3-13, 1-5), Dougherty Valley (2-14, 0-6).
EBAL SOFTBALL
1. Livermore (12-4, 4-1): The Cowboys had the best tournament of the EBAL teams in the Livermore Stampede, going 4-1, falling only to eventual second-place finisher Whitney.
2. California (9-5, 4-1): The Grizzlies dropped their first three games of the Stampede then rallied on Saturday and won their last two, including a 4-3 win over Amador.
3. Foothill (8-4-1, 3-2): The Falcons voted as a team to take their spring break week off.
4. Granada (9-6, 4-2): The Matadors went 3-2 in the Stampede, playing a very tough, getting wins over Carondelet, Alameda and College Park.
5. Amador Valley (6-8, 2-3): The Dons struggled in the Stampede going 2-3, but they did beat both Carondelet and San Ramon Valley to keep the No. 5 spot.
In the hunt: San Ramon Valley (8-6-1, 2-3), Dougherty Valley (7-4, 2-3), Carondelet (6-10, 4-1), Monte Vista (4-5, 0-4), Dublin (1-8, 0-5).
Today (April 15)
EBAL baseball: Livermore at Dublin, 4 p.m.
EBAL softball: Amador Valley at California 4 p.m.
EBAL volleyball: Granada at Amador Valley, Foothill at De La Salle, Livermore at Dublin, all 6:30 p.m.
Tomorrow (April 16)
EBAL baseball: Amador Valley at Livermore, San Ramon Valley at Granada, Foothill at Dublin, all 4 p.m.
Thursday (April 17)
EBAL volleyball: Dublin at Granada, Livermore at Foothill, San Ramon Valley at Amador Valley, all 6:30 p.m.
EBAL softball: Livermore at Amador Valley, 4 p.m.
Friday (April 18)
EBAL baseball: Dublin at Foothill, Livermore at Amador Valley, 4 p.m.
Saturday (April 19)
Baseball: Liberty at Granada, 11 a.m.
Pleasanton Preps: Livermore Stampede tournament presents big test for softball’s best
The Amador Valley girls’ softball team faced the toughest test of the season since the Dons made their legendary run to the CIF Northern California championship last year when they played in the Livermore Stampede.
Dennis Miller is a veteran sports writer and editor, covering sports in the Tri-Valley for over 35 years. In addition to being the editor of Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, he has written a weekly column for Pleasanton Weekly and PleasantonWeekly.com, “Pleasanton Preps,” since 2011. Email him at sports@pleasantonweekly.com.
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